Waiting in the Wings

Take a moment to think of all of the projects you’re currently working on or considering working on. List them in your Project Quartz journal.

Now designate 2-3 of these projects as being “in the spotlight.” In other words, choose 2-3 projects that you want to actively focus on at this moment. Then designate all of the other projects as “waiting in the wings.” These projects might enter the spotlight in the future, but they’re currently taking a break offstage.

There are two important aspects to this tool. First, it helps us be awesome at our spotlight projects by helping us focus on just those projects. But second, it gives us permission to have other projects waiting in the wings, ready to run onstage at a moment’s notice. This is as opposed to other, more draconian approaches that say wings projects should be abandoned entirely because they distract you from your main focus. Instead, by putting 2-3 priority projects in the spotlight, you can focus on those projects without completely abandoning your other ideas in the wings.

When it’s time for an old spotlight project to be retired, that opens space on the stage for a new project to enter from the wings. Similarly, when it’s time for a project to enter from the wings, it’s a good idea to have an old spotlight project step into the wings to avoid crowding the stage. Finally, when a totally new project enters through the stage door, take a moment to consider whether it’s a spotlight project or a wings project, and reshuffle your projects as necessary.

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Source

How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up (2018) by Emilie Wapnick